INVENTORS TUNE IN MADE-FOR-TV DREAMS

Mark Viau created BackSaverz, an ergonomically correct backpack insert with different compartments that eases strain on the back. His invention got the green light from the Telebrands representatives. Howard Lipin • U-T

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Mark Viau created BackSaverz, an ergonomically correct backpack insert with different compartments that eases strain on the back. His invention got the green light from the Telebrands representatives. Howard Lipin • U-T

Roger Yanagita of Los Angeles demonstrates his invention, the Duster Vac, for A.J. Khubani, president and CEO of TeleBrands, the creator of the As Seen on TV symbol, Manish Israni, TeleBrands vice-president of marketing research and John Yarrington, executive director of Response Expo, during the TeleBrands Inventor Pitch during the expo where inventors had five-minutes to convenience the panel they should market their product on television.

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Roger Yanagita of Los Angeles demonstrates his invention, the Duster Vac, for A.J. Khubani, president and CEO of TeleBrands, the creator of the As Seen on TV symbol, Manish Israni, TeleBrands vice-president of marketing research and John Yarrington, executive director of Response Expo, during the TeleBrands Inventor Pitch during the expo where inventors had five-minutes to convenience the panel they should market their product on television.

Coming soon to a sleepless night near you, the FurIzzy all-in-one dog-, cat- and horse-grooming tool. Or perhaps the Vacuum Duster, whose name says it all. Maybe not the Sae Arc Wooden Pillow, but you never know.

These and other potential late-night TV impulse buys got their spotlight moment Thursday at the Response Expo, the infomercial convention that just wrapped up its three-day residency at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel.

In addition to workshops, inspirational speakers and a tiki party, the expo included a one-day-only, not-to-be-missed offer: A “Shark Tank”-style product pitch session with Telebrands, the direct-marketing giant behind the “As Seen on TV” logo. Not to mention such classic “As Seen on TV” items as the space-saving Pocket Hose and the frightening PedEgg, a callous remover that is basically a cheese grater for your feet. At 45 million sold, it is also Telebrands’ most successful product.

Nearly 20 prescreened inventors from all over the country (and Sweden) lined up early to show their backpack-organizing, spine-adjusting, dust-bunny-vanquishing wares to a panel that included Telebrands founder AJ Khubani. The winner (or winners) could receive a contract with Telebrands, along with the chance to make the infomercial that could change everything.

What does it take to convince an insomniac to order now? Here is a look at some of the stocking stuffers and gag gifts in your couch-potato future.

The (pretty) sure things: As the man who launched the “As Seen on TV” empire more than 20 years ago with AmberVision sunglasses, Khubani knows what he wants to see on his TV ads.

“It’s got to be exciting. It’s got to solve an everyday problem,” the Telebrands founder said in a phone interview this week. “It’s the things people look at and say, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ ”

Los Angeles architect and product designer Roger Yanagita is hoping he has invented one of those things. And he could be right.

Yanagita’s problem to solve is dust. His solution is the Vacuum Duster, an A-ha Moment item that is, in fact, a feather duster attached to a vacuum hose. Unlike a duster, it does not flick dust hither and yon, but instead sends it through the hose into your vacuum cleaner. Unlike a vacuum cleaner, it is not big and clunky or a threat to small objects.

Yanagita demonstrated the Vacuum Duster on a knickknack collection that included an Eiffel Tower snowglobe. The knickknacks emerged unscathed, and Yanagita emerged victorious. More or less.

“It seems kind of stupid at first,” Khubani said of Yanagita’s “MacGyver”-esque contraption. “But even though it looks dumb, I think people will get it. It’s something that could retail for under $20. I think this has a good shot.”

A few pitches later, former FBI agent Mark Viau nabbed a Telebrands thumbs up with BackSaverz, an adjustable backpack insert with compartments for books, papers and a laptop, all in an ergonomically correct design that makes the backpack easier on the back. It is ingenious, problem-solving and cheap to produce. Khubani was sold.

“Kids do have back problems, and the organizational aspect is of interest,” he mused. “I like this.”

Back to the drawing board: Khubani and company — Telebrands vice president Manish Israni and Response Expo honchos John Yarrington and Thomas Haire — spent much of the pitch session on the metaphorical fence, praising inventors for making interesting products while finding reasons not to take them on.

They were intrigued by the wooden Sae Arc pressure-point pillow, but worried about the challenges of proving its health claims. The inShield windshield wiper (by Tim Probasco of Encinitas) was promising, but a little too similar to Telebrands’ already-existing Windshield Wonder. They were politely stumped by Leif Levon’s light-reflecting technology, which Levon brought all the way from Stockholm in the form of a lawn gnome.

But Susan Kocsis’ multi-compartment Prepster leftover-storage system? The all-male panel did not get that one at all, and Kocsis was quickly dismissed.

“I’m surprised by their response,” said Kocsis, an “As Seen on TV” fan who owns three PedEggs. “Everybody who sees one of these loaded up with food says, ‘Where did you get that? I want one of those.’ ”

But wait, there’s more!: Tim Probasco’s inShield once had shelf space in Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Paul Sadowski’s Flip for It magnetized organization frame is a variation on a product of his that Telebrands test-marketed a few years ago.

For them, the pitch meeting offered a chance for an infomercial do-over. For Greg Moore of Bellevue, Wash., it could be the start of his first entrepreneurial adventure.

Moore is the creator of the FurIzzy, an animal-grooming tool that consists of a rake-like plastic head attached to a wooden handle. The head is equipped with nubs made for massaging armpits and scratching tummies, and the handle comes in different sizes to suit different pets. Moore has photos of it being used on happy horses and chillin’ Chihuahuas.

At the tail end of the pitch session, Moore vaulted into the room to extol the bonding and grooming virtues of his neon-colored pet rakes. And Khubani bit.

“I will say that this is my No. 1 pick of everything I’ve seen today,” he said. “I really dislike the name, so we’ll have to change it.”

Moore won’t know for a few weeks if Khubani’s endorsement means he won this thing, and he doesn’t care. When the infomercial guru landed on the FurIzzy, he did not change the channel. As far as Moore is concerned, that is reason to celebrate.

“My goal is to get this out there to the nation and make people’s lives easier,” Moore said. “Where’s the bar?”